Hairsetting device

ABSTRACT

A roller lift for effecting straightening of the hair while simultaneously supporting a roller for curling a portion thereof including a clamping arrangement for positively retaining the hair roller in position without movement on the roller lift without the need for auxiliary clips or pins which might come into contact with the hair or render more difficult the use of the roller lift.

United States Patent Morgan HAIRSETTING DEVICE Justin W. Morgan, 1117 Daytona Avenue, Holly Hill, Fla. 32017 [22] Filed: Nov. 13, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 89,394

[72] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl ..1-32/9 [51] Int. Cl. 1 1 ..A45d l/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..l32/9, 39,40-42, 132/33, 39

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,358,698 12/1967 Blanchard 1 32/40 [451 June 6,1972

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeill Attorney-Craig, Antonelli & Hill [57] ABSTRACT A roller lift for effecting straightening of the hair while simultaneously supporting'a roller for curling a portion thereof in cluding a clamping arrangement for positively retaining the hair roller in position without movement on the roller lift without the need for auxiliary clips or pins which might come into contact with the hair or render more difficult the use of the roller lift.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJun 6 I972 INVENTOR 'SuSTwx w MORGQN BY on QM, am Mm ATTORNEYS HAIRSETTING DEVICE The present invention relates in general to hairsetting devices, and more particularly, to a device for use in conjunction with hair rollers to effect a selective straightening of portions of a lock or strand of hair while permitting, in conjunction with conventional hair rollers, a curling to any desired strength of the remaining portion of the lock or strand of hair.

In my prior U. S. Pat. No. 3,343,548, I have described a roller lift which serves to support the standard hair roller at a distance from the scalp while applying tension to the straightened portion of the hair extending from the roller to the scalp. By this means, a permanent setting of the hair can be achieved while lifting the curler away from the scalp so as to straighten a portion of the hair adjacent to the scalp, thereby permitting the remaining portion of the hair adjacent the end thereof to be curled with any selected degree of tightness. I

It is well known by those skilled in this particular art that it is of utmost importance during the permanent waving operation that little or no contact be made with the hair to which the permanent waving solution has been applied. During application of the permanent waving solution, the hair becomes very delicate due to the chemical action which is effected between the solution and the hair itself, such that even slight pressure applied to the hair may produce serious damage or unwanted bending or curling of the hair. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that the'hair not be contacted byclamping or fastening members during the permanent waving operation if potential damage to the hair which can be caused thereby is to be avoided. Under ideal conditions, the hair should be curled, or straightened, as the case may be, without physical contact between the hair and any object whatsoever. However, as is quite apparent, some means must be utilized to force a curl into the hair during the application of permanent waving solution and neutralizing solution so as to effect a set in the hair. Therefore, the most efficient practical arrangement which can be hoped for is to provide for the use of simple rollers without the need for auxiliary clamping elements to insure a maintenance of the curls during the wavesetting operation.

With the roller lift construction as provided in the aforementioned U.S. Patent, it was possible to support the roller above the scalp in such a manner as to apply tension to the portion of the hair extending from the roller to the scalp while substantially preventing contact between the hair and any other object except the roller itself. However, in the patented construction, in order to clamp or fasten the roller upon the roller lift, a pin or clip was used to secure the roller to a lip provided on the one end of the roller lift. The clip, for example, a conventional bobby pin, was utilized as the securing member with one end of the pin passing into the interior of the roller and the other end passing through an aperture beneath the lip on the roller lift. With such an arrangement, it was possible to secure the roller to the roller lift with a conventional bobby pin so as to substantially avoid contact with the hair; however, it is not only extremely difficult in practice to completely prevent such contact between the hair and the fastening pin or clip, but the need for a separate fastening member rendered the use of the roller lift more complicated.

in accordance with the present invention, the difficulties outlined above have been eliminated by providing fastening means as an integral part of the roller lift enabling the fastening of the lift to a roller of standard length. The fastening means in accordance with the present invention is provided in the form of a pair of clamping members associated respective. ly with transversely extending support surfaces on respective ends of the roller lift, which clamping members are capable of grasping the ends of the roller so as to secure the roller in position and prevent rotation thereof when tension is being applied to the hair during the curling process.

A particularly advantageous feature of the present invention resides in the particular construction of the clamping or fastening members on the support projections so as to achieve a three-way locking of the respective ends of the hair roller. Each fastening member consists of a projection extending from thev outer edge of the support lip toward the hair roller and curving downward so as to extend at the extreme end thereof through an aperture in the support surface of the lip. In addition, an opening is provided in the back of the roller lift so that the side walls can be flexed and these side walls are normally biased in a direction towards each other so that insertion of a roller of normal length into the lift requires a movement of the sides away from each other in order to force the ends of the roller under the fastening members, the bias provided on the sides thenserving to clamp the roller into position and the flexible fastening members also serving to clamp the roller upon the support surface of the lip. Each fastener is also provided with a slanted cam surface which drives the end of the roller downward against the support surface of the lip in response to the inward force provided by the side walls due to the normal bias thereof.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the outer surface of each fastener adjacent the free end thereof which comes into contact with the roller at the time of insertion of the roller is curved so that the fastener is easily flexed by the roller permitting the roller to be slipped between the fastener and the support surface of the projecting lip. This greatly simplifies the use of the roller lift permitting a securing of the roller to the lip while maintaining the proper tension on the hair and without disturbing the hair or the position of the roller lift on the scalp.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for setting hair which serves to avoid the difficulties in prior known devices of this type.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a roller lift which is capable of securing the roller in position without the need for supplemental securing means which may damage the hair or impair the lasting quality of the curl.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a roller lift which positively prevents the rotation of the hair curler in spite of the tension which is provided on the hair wound about the curler.

it is still another object of the present invention to provide a roller lift of the type described which is both economical to manufacture and dependable in use.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which shows one embodiment of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a roller lift in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of one side of the roller lift of FIG. 1 illustrating the fastening element associated with the support surface of the projecting lip;

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the roller lift of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the roller lift showing the manner in which a hair roller is clamped into position thereon; and

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the roller lift.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various views to designate corresponding parts wherever possible, one exemplary form of the roller lift in accordance with the present invention consists of a generally rectangular box-like hollow body member 10 having both the top and bottom ends completely open so as to provide for the passage of a lock of hair therethrough. The short side walls 12 and 14 substantially terminate at the edges thereof in a pair of transverse support members or lips 12a and 14a, respectively, which serve to support a hair roller of conventional size and configuration. The width of the side walls 12 and 14 and the curvature of the support members 12a and 144': are such that even a roller of large diameter may be accommodated on the roller lift. The back wall of the body member 10 contains a longitudinal slot or opening 15 which separates a pair of wall portions 16a and 16b and the thickness of the side walls 12 and 14 is such that the wall portions 16a and 16b can be moved with respect to one another due to the flexing of the side walls 12 and 14.

The front wall 18 of the body member is provided with a grill or slotted construction comprising a plurality of slots 17 which permit an application of rinse water to the hair during the permanent wave operation while effectively shielding the relatively delicate curls from the direct force of the solutions and water which are applied so as not to disturb the set of the hair. In this way, the front wall of the roller lift serves as a shield for the curl, permitting the application of solutions to the curl while preventing an application of excessive force or inadvertent contact with the hair.

As indicate above, the grill or slotted construction of the front wall including the slots 17 facilitates the application of fluids to the hair, and in order to facilitate the flow of these fluids out of the roller lift construction, the bottom edges of the wall portions 16a and 16b are directed at an upward angle, as seen in FIG. 5, so as to provide a space adjacent the scalp at the back of the lift which will permit the free flow of fluids out of the roller lift. The opening in the back wall of the roller lift also facilitates the passage of fluid out of the lift and the scalloped portions 19 at the front wall of the lift provide an additional escape route for these fluids, so that a free draining of fluids from the curl can be effected. The additional flow or drainage of fluids from the lift construction may also be facilitated by the provision of holes or apertures (not shown) in the walls of the body member 10, if necessary.

The use of this roller lift is advantageously very simple and may be associated with all conventional rollers of any size or construction. A lock of hair to be waved is separated by hand and then slipped through the slot 15 in the side of the lift, and is positioned axially through the rectangular body member so as to extend out the opposite open end thereof. The size of the lock of hair is generally selected so that the hair forming the lock occupies an area of the scalp just slightly smaller than the area of the open bottom side of the lift. In this way the hair can be pulled through the roller lift in an axial direction and remain relatively spaced without coming into contact with the side walls of the body member. A roller of conventional construction is then selected in accordance with the desired degree of curl which is to be set in the hair and the hair is rolled upon the roller until the roller comes into contact with the support surfaces 12a and 14a with sufficient force to create a tension on the hair extending from the roller to the scalp.

In view of the tension which must be provided on the hair extending from the roller, a force tangential to the surface of the roller exists which attempts to rotate the roller. If the roller were allowed to rotate in response to this force, obviously, the tension on the hair would be quickly neutralized. With my prior roller lift construction, the friction of the roller against the lift and a clip or pin prevented such rotation; however, the disadvantages mentioned above resulted.

In order to effect a clamping of the roller on the roller lift in a simpler and more desirable manner and thereby prevent a rotation of the roller due to the tension provided on the hair during the permanent setting operation, the roller lift in accordance with the present invention is provided with a pair of fastening members 20 formed on the support surfaces 12a and 14a. The detailed construction of these fastening members is illustrated in FIG. 2. Each fastening member 20 consists of a curved projection supported at one end substantially at the center of the support surfaces 12a or 14a and extending in a curved manner toward the inside of the roller lift with the free end 21 curving downward through an opening 13 in the support surface. Due to the curvature of the portion 22 of the fastening member 20, the edge of a roller pressed against this surface in the direction of arrow A will cause the fastening member 20 to lift so as to permit the edge of the roller to slide under the fastening member thereby clamping it to the support surface, as shown in FIG. 4. A plurality of projections or ribs 25 may be provided on the support surface so that the friction between the roller and the support surface is increased, further preventing rotation of the roller as a result of tangential forces placed thereon by the tensioned lock of hair.

As seen in FIG. 3, the side walls 12 and 14 of the roller lift are normally biased toward each other so that insertion of a roller on the lift requires an outward flexing of these side walls against the normal bias thereof to permit the edges of the rollens to slide beneath the fastening members 20. This normal inward bias on the side walls of the roller lift then provides an inward force which effectively produces a grasping of the roller by the fastening members 20 forcing the fastening members towards one another with the roller placed therebetween. As seen in FIG. 2, each fastening member is provided with a wedge-shaped lower portion 23 providing a cam surface 24 which extends at an angle to the support surface. As the edge of the roller is forced beneath the flexible end 21 of the fastening member 20, it comes into contact with this downwardly directed can surface 24, and due to the inward bias on the side walls of the roller lift, the cam surface 23 forces the edge of the roller downward against the support surface with a forceful contact.

Thus, the fastening of the roller in the roller lift is effected by the fastening members 20 in a three-fold manner. First of all, the flexible free end 21 of the fastening members 20 which normally extend through the opening 13 in the support surface when flexed upward to permit the roller to pass between it and the support surface exerts a firm force downward on the roller to clamp it against the support surface. Secondly, the inward bias on the side walls 12 and 14 of the roller lift ensure that once the roller is clamped beneath the fastening members 20 on the respective support surfaces, the roller will not slip out from the grasp of the support member. Thirdly, the downwardly directed cam surface 24 on the wedge-shaped base portion 23 of the support member forces the edge of the roller downward against the support surface as the side walls tend to flex back toward one another in the direction of their normal set so that the roller is further pressed by this additional force against the support surface.

Thus, the built-in fastening members 20 on the roller lift permit the roller to be secured to the lift and prevent a rotation of the roller in spite of the force placed thereon by the tensioned curl. The fastening members 20 provide a firm and secure locking of the roller on the lift, and yet the fastening of the roller on the lift is very easy to perform.

While I have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.

I claim:

1. A roller lift for effecting straightening of the hair while simultaneously supporting a roller for curling a portion thereof comprising:

a unitary hollow body member which is open at opposite ends thereof, the interior of said body member being entirely free of obstructions,

a pair of transverse support members directed outwardly at diametrically opposite points at one open end of said body member so as to provide support surfaces for a hair roller thereon, and

a fastening member in the form of a clamping projection formed on each support member and having a free end facing the interior of said body member for clamping one end of a hair roller against said support surface on the respective support member,

said body member including a longitudinal slot extending the full length between the open ends of said body member along the periphery of said body member and between said support members so as to open the side of said body member,

said clamping projections being spaced apart by a distance less than the length of a standard hair roller and the side walls of said body member being constructed to be flexible so as to permit the insertion of a hair roller between said clamping projections.

2. A roller lift as defined in claim 1 wherein each support member includes an aperture, the free end of the clamping projection on each support member extending into the aperture on the associated support member and having a first cam surface producing a lifting of said clamping projection out of said aperture in response to a force thereon substantially parallel to said support surface.

3. A roiler lift as defined in claim 1 wherein said clamping projection of each fastening member is secured to its respective support member by a wedge-shaped portion having a cam surface facing toward said support surface and the interior of said body member so that a hair roller extending from the interior portion of said body member forceably against said cam surface is pressed against said support surface.

4. A roller lift as defined in claim 1, wherein each clamping projection is arcuately shaped so as to be forced away from said support surface by a contacting member pressed thereagainst in a direction substantially parallel to said support surface.

5. A roller lift as defined in claim 1, wherein said clamping projection of each fastening member is secured to its respective support member by a wedge-shaped portion having a cam surface facing toward said support surface and the interior of said body member so that a hair roller extending from the interior portion of said body member forceably against said cam surface is pressed against said support surface.

6. A roller lift as defined in claim 5, wherein each clamping projection is arcuately shaped so as to be forced away from said support surface by a contacting member pressed thereagainst in a direction substantially parallel to said support surface.

7. A roller lift as defined in claim 5, wherein each support member includes an aperture, the free end of the clamping projection on each support member extending into the aperture on the associated support member and having an additional cam surface producing a lifting of said clamping projection out of said aperture in response to a force thereon sub stantially parallel to said support surface.

8. A roller lift for effecting straightening of the hair while simultaneously supporting a roller for curling a portion thereof comprising:

a unitary hollow body member which is open at opposite ends thereof, the interior of said body member being entirely free of obstructions, v

a pair of transverse support members directed outwardly at diametrically opposite points at one open end of said body member so as to provide support surfaces for a hair roller thereon, and

a fastening member in the form of a clamping projection fonned on each support member and having a free end facing the interior of said body member for clamping one end of a hair roller against said support surface on the respective support member,

wherein said body member is substantially parallelepiped, said support members being secured to opposite side walls of said body member and a longitudinal slot being formed in another side wall extending the full length between the open ends of said body member, the side walls bearing said support members being biased at one corresponding edge toward one another so that said body member has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section parallel to the plane of said support surfaces with the side of said body member containing said longitudinal slot forming the minor base of said trapezoid. 

1. A roller lift for effecting straightening of the hair while simultaneously supporting a roller for curling a portion thereof comprising: a unitary hollow body member which is open at opposite ends thereof, the interior of said body member being entirely free of obstructions, a pair of transverse support members directed outwardly at diametrically opposite points at one open end of said body member so as to provide support surfaces for a hair roller thereon, and a fastening member in the form of a clamping projection formed on each support member and having a free end facing the interior of said body member for clamping one end of a hair roller against said support surface on the respective support member, said body member including a longitudinal slot extending the full length between the open ends of said body member along the periphery of said body member and between said support members so as to open the side of said body member, said clamping projections being spaced apart by a distance less than the length of a standard hair roller and the side walls of said body member being constructed to be flexible so as to permit the insertion of a hair roller between said clamping projections.
 2. A roller lift as defined in claim 1 wherein each support member includes an aperture, the free end of the clamping projection on each support member extending into the aperture on the associated support member and having a first cam surface producing a lifting of said clamping projection out of said aperture in response to a force thereon substantially parallel to said support surface.
 3. A roller lift as defined in claim 1 wherein said clamping projection of each fastening member is secured to its respective support member by a wedge-shaped portion having a cam surface facing toward said support surface and the interior of said body member so that a hair roller extending from the interior portion of said body member forceably against said cam surface is pressed against said support surface.
 4. A roller lift as defined in claim 1, wherein each clamping projection is arcuately shaped so as to be forced away from said support surface by a contacting member pressed thereagainst in a direction substantially parallel to said support surface.
 5. A roller lift as defined in claim 1, wherein said clamping projection of each fastening member is secured to its respective support member by a wedge-shaped portion having a cam surface facing toward said support surface and the interior of said body member so that a hair roller extending from the interior portion of said body member forceably against said cam surface is pressed against said support surface.
 6. A roller lift as defined in claim 5, wherein each clamping projection is arcuately shaped so as to be forced away from said support surface by a contacting member pressed thereagainst in a direction substantially parallel to said support surface.
 7. A roller lift as defined in claim 5, wherein each support member includes an aperture, the free end of the clamping projection on each sUpport member extending into the aperture on the associated support member and having an additional cam surface producing a lifting of said clamping projection out of said aperture in response to a force thereon substantially parallel to said support surface.
 8. A roller lift for effecting straightening of the hair while simultaneously supporting a roller for curling a portion thereof comprising: a unitary hollow body member which is open at opposite ends thereof, the interior of said body member being entirely free of obstructions, a pair of transverse support members directed outwardly at diametrically opposite points at one open end of said body member so as to provide support surfaces for a hair roller thereon, and a fastening member in the form of a clamping projection formed on each support member and having a free end facing the interior of said body member for clamping one end of a hair roller against said support surface on the respective support member, wherein said body member is substantially parallelepiped, said support members being secured to opposite side walls of said body member and a longitudinal slot being formed in another side wall extending the full length between the open ends of said body member, the side walls bearing said support members being biased at one corresponding edge toward one another so that said body member has a substantially trapezoidal cross-section parallel to the plane of said support surfaces with the side of said body member containing said longitudinal slot forming the minor base of said trapezoid. 